Loaded Tigerhawks will lean on large senior class

The last time there was this much excitement about a Colfax-Mingo football team was probably the last time the Tigerhawks hosted a home playoff game.

That was 2003.

But with 13 seniors and a plethora of returning impact players from a squad that went 6-4 last year, Colfax-Mingo has the depth up front, and the ability in the skill positions to end the home playoff game drought.

Jared Myers returns as one of the top quarterbacks in Class A, Blake Summy will be one of the top receivers in the class and Jacob Lietz was an all-state linebacker last year who is garnering collegiate interest from FCS schools.

Couple that with a deep wide receiving core, an all-state caliber defensive end and a trio of linebackers who led the team in tackles last year and the Tigerhawks are primed for a run at the District 7 title.

“The excitement from the team after last year is huge, and the community is excited, too,” Colfax-Mingo coach Jeff Lietz said. “The students are pumped about it, and there is a lot of expectations. I think that’s a good thing. We have a great group of seniors.”

The large senior class is led by Jacob Lietz, Myers and Summy, who all garnered all-state honors as juniors.

Myers is back and he comes into the season as the No. 2 ranked quarterback in Class A, according to iowapreps.com. He threw for a Class A-high 2,506 yards last year and also was second in touchdown passes with 22. Myers led the team in rushing with 678 yards and six scores.

“Being his coach, and coaching for him for all these years, he is my quarterback, and I wouldn’t take anyone else over him,” Coach Lietz said. “I think he’s the best, absolutely, but that’ll give him something to push for.”

Lietz, Summy, Colin Lourens and Gabe Simpson all give Myers outstanding threats in the passing game.

Lietz was the team’s leading receiver last year when he went down with an injury. Summy, who begins the year as the third ranked wideout in Class A, finished with the fourth most receptions in Class A with 47 and was third in yards with 716.

Jacob Buehrer returns at tailback, while four starters from the offensive line — twins Michael Deal and Nicholas Deal, Sean Borts and Kyle Breen — are back.

Wyatt Owens, Jake Dunsbergen and maybe even Alan Wheeler are all in the mix to start at the other guard spot. But Colfax-Mingo has something this year that it normally doesn’t have and that’s depth up front on both sides of the ball.

Michael Deal starts the year ranked as the ninth best linemen in Class A.

For the most part, the top players on offense will play both ways. Colfax-Mingo lost three solid players from last year’s defense in Jimmy Abell, Brady DeJoode and Clayton Brown, but Myers (101 tackles) and Jacob Lietz (100 tackles) are both back at linebacker along with Buehrer (68 tackles) and Wheeler (86 tackles and five sacks) at defensive end. Summy is back at corner, and he led Class A with five interceptions last year.

Jacob Lietz is ranked second at linebacker in Class A to start the season.

“We are bringing back a lot of starters there too,” Coach Lietz said of the defense. “When you bring back your top linebackers and an all-state caliber defensive end and cornerback, you’re a step ahead of the game.”

Wheeler comes into the season as the sixth ranked defensive linemen in Class A, but his coach doesn’t think there’s a lot of kids who will be able to block him.

“He’s a non-traditional guy. He has a motor that won’t quit, and when he goes 100 percent, I don’t feel like there are a lot of guys who can block him,” Coach Lietz said. “He gets after it. He’s that kid that everyone loves to coach.”

The defense’s base set will again be a 3-5-3.

The other starter at defensive end is expected to be Lourens and Jimmy Camp will be the nose tackle.

The other linebackers behind Lietz, Myers and Buehrer could be Breen, Colton Lourens and/or Lane Dunblazer.

Simpson will be on the opposite side of Summy and sophomore Jarrod Nichols is the favorite to start at safety.

The preseason accolades the Tigerhawks are picking up are great, but Coach Lietz knows it can be a double-edged sword.

“It’s a good thing and a bad thing. The guys that are getting the accolades are taking it with a grain of salt. They are more for the we than the me,” he said. “Those accolades aren’t anything unless the team is successful.

“The accolades also show how hard they have worked over the years so that’s a good thing, too.”

At 7-0, Montezuma won the District 7 title last year. BGM was 6-1 and Colfax-Mingo and Belle Plaine were both 4-3. But the Tigerhawks ended up as the four seed and matched up with eventual semifinalist Mount Ayr in the opening round of the playoffs.

Coach Lietz thinks those same four teams will be in the mix in 2015, but he also likes Lynnville-Sully.

“Top to bottom, it’s a tough district, but that’s a good thing,” he said. “We’d love to host a playoff game and see where we can take it.”

Four of the six running backs in the district who tallied more than 1,000 yards last year are gone, but BGM’s Colton Massengale (1,725) and Lynnville-Sully’s Sage Ehresman (1,047) are back.

And three of the top four returning leading tacklers in the district — Myers, Lietz and Wheeler — all wear the Tigerhawk uniform.

Colfax-Mingo may also have the biggest advantage with Lynnville-Sully, Montezuma and BGM all traveling to Colfax.

Colfax-Mingo opens the season at home against Pleasantville at 7 p.m. Friday.